The Compass, November 5, 2025
- Nov 5
- 7 min read
Gratitude Finds, by Dr. David Breeden
An apple on the windowsill,
a gentle rain in the night,
a crow on a fence post,
a child asleep on a bus.
Gratitude finds the world
a gift.
The heart bows and
a day begins again.
Gratitude is a way
of knowing,
teaching the heart,
to create,
to serve,
to belong.
Food Pantry Update
When beloved community comes together, we truly make a difference! Recently, the news regarding the delay in the release of SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits for the month of November has sparked significant concern among many families who rely on this essential support for their daily nutrition. The impact of this delay is profound, as it affects not only individual households but also the broader community. In response to this situation, we have witnessed an outpouring of support for our food pantry. In the past week alone, we have raised $300 to purchase food for the pantry!
However, we still need your help! To keep up with the demand, we still need your donations of shelf-stable food. Now is a great time to clean out your pantries and cupboards! Donations can be dropped off during regular office hours, Monday through Friday, from 10 AM to 1 PM.
Thank you ❤️
Here is a list of items we need for our food pantry
Jelly
Pancake mix
Spices
Coffee & Tea
Canned fruit (no peaches, please)
Canned salmon, beef, and chicken
Shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, soap
Hand warmers, winter hats, blankets
Granola bars and other healthy pre-packaged snacks
Kid-friendly foods: applesauce, fruit pouches, pre-made pudding, cereal, crackers
Shelf-stable milk
If you don't have time to shop, gift cards to grocery stores, or monetary donations are also accepted. Venmo @UUNewBedford
Did you miss Sunday service last week? Watch it here!
Social Justice Committee Meetings - New Day!
Join the SJC virtually on MONDAYS at 6:30 PM. Be part of the change you would like to see in your community and beyond.
From Side With Love
As we move toward Thanksgiving, we hold the tension of this season: a time of gratitude rooted in harvest and community, yet shadowed by the ongoing legacy of colonization and harm to Indigenous peoples. To decolonize Thanksgiving is to tell the fuller truth: that gratitude and justice must walk hand in hand.
Across the nation, the No Kings protests are inviting a growing chorus of faith-filled people who refuse to bow to greed, fear, or authoritarian power. Side With Love stands in that sacred lineage of holy defiance, proclaiming that our faith serves no monarchs, no tyrants or dictators — only the liberating movement of love and justice.
This is an urgent hour. It is one where we practice gratitude, but also commitment to truth. While many will gather to give thanks for abundance, millions still struggle under systems that steal and hoard it. Democracy is a call to right relationship with each other and with the land. And love is our guide.
So as we approach this holiday season, let our gratitude be revolutionary. Let it move us from comfort to courage, from prayer to action. Because love — radical, accountable, and abundant — has no kings, only kin.
With fierce hope and deep thanks,
The Side With Love Team
November 9: Gratitude & the Ordinary - How Gratitude Helps Us Notice Small Things
November 13: Art, History, Architecture {AHA} Made in New Bedford
UUNB Hosts the Green St. Band in the sanctuary from 6 to 8 PM
November 16: Gratitude & Happiness - How Gratitude Gives Us Hope
November 23: Gratitude & “Reciprocity” - How Gratitude Asks Us to Respond
Thanksgiving Potluck Sign Up in Parish House
November 30: Gratitude & The Power of Thank You - How There Are Many Ways to Say Thank You, A Child's Christmas in Wales
Save the Date: Solstice Service 12/21/2025 Hosted by The Way Cool Sunday School
Happiness does not make us grateful; gratefulness makes us happy. David Steindl-Rast
From the UUA: Healing One Another
By Rina Shere, November 5, 2025
“The violence of combat assaults psyches, confuses ethics, and tests souls…These compromises and violations are not generally discussed, and their impact on a warrior’s mental health and soul is minimized, or even ignored entirely, not only by current military training but by society at large.” —Karl Marlantes, United States Marine Corps, What It Is Like To Go To War
When we talk about life and death, it’s always a spiritual conversation.
When we train human beings to take a life—to kill—we violate sacred territory. When we train our soldiers how to face the reality of their own death, we are in the province of the Holy. While the majority of our veterans have not been in active combat, a subset has faced these life and death situations. As we work to reintegrate veterans who have come back to us terribly changed, we’re tasked—personally and as a society—with reflecting on what these lives mean to us.
What do these lives mean to us?
There are Unitarian Universalists who oppose U.S. military actions, and there are those who believe it’s a necessity. Many of us struggle with questions about our roles as citizens of a country that sends young adults into combat, thinking this will somehow create a permanent solution. But there should be no argument about how to treat our veterans once they have returned to us. When veterans return traumatized or feeling damaged, we have a responsibility to heal veterans spiritually, physically, and mentally.
As a people, as a faith, we must acknowledge that our society, our democracy, is a part of creating veterans who are in pain. If we believe in the interconnectedness of all beings, then we must acknowledge—as citizens of this democratic nation—that we’re all complicit in its wars and conflicts. We’re complicit in the trauma that some of our military personnel endure. Our society has also sanctioned the poverty, violence, and lack of support services for families and children that lead so many of our young people to what we call the “economic draft.”
My religion tells me that even if I question your decision to join the military and create combat zones, I am responsible to help you with your spiritual healing when you return.
Unitarian Universalism calls me to create spaces in my daily life, in the lives of the veterans I serve, and in our faith communities, for healing and conversation. I must be able to respectfully discuss issues of war and peace with those I meet if I’m to live into and model the free search for truth and meaning, which is also part of our religious heritage.
Prayer
Mysterious Source of All Being, Spirit of Life and Spirit of Love, we honor the greater power of love and justice to transform our world. We bear witness to a hope that resists numbness. May we be filled with a passion to work in this world creating pathways to freedom and wholeness for all people. Amen.
Please share these events with your family and friends, and consider attending yourself. We would love to see you!
FREE Events Happening at UUNB
Being Human takes place every Friday at 11 AM. Please use the parking lot door.
This Friday!!!
There is also an open AA meeting, led by Walter Silvia, that takes place each Saturday at
noon in the Parish House.
Save the date!
Please take our poll! We want to know what types of programming you would like to see in 2026 at UUNB. If you have a program in mind that is not on the list, please send your suggestion to admin@uunewbedford.org
What events would you like to see at UUNB in 2026?
0%Author Talks
0%Theatrical Performances
0%Children's Programs
0%Concerts
You can vote for more than one answer.
Ticketed Events: A portion of the sales from these events will benefit the restoration of the Tryworks Auditorium
In collaboration with Infinity Productions, we are excited to present a monthly concert series. Please check the events page on our website for updates. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door.
Tickets to all of our shows can be purchased in the office with cash or check during regular business hours, Monday through Friday, 10 AM to 1 PM, or online with a credit card.
The calendar on our website shows everything happening at UUNB. Updates are displayed immediately, so you will always know what is planned.
Greater New Bedford Choral Society Holiday Concert
Greater New Bedford Choral Society’s Holiday Concert is Sunday, December 7th, 3:00 pm at Grace Episcopal Church. Join GNBCS for a magical start to the holidays exploring how composers of different eras, religions, and backgrounds use music to celebrate the holiday season in a concert that includes selections ranging from the Renaissance to the contemporary, original works celebrating both Hanukkah and Christmas, and timeless holiday favorites.
Tickets are $20.00 and available at the door. Visit our website at https://www.gnbcs.org/ for more information or follow us on Facebook.
Holiday Craft Fair at UU Middleboro
City of New Bedford Street Sheet Food Pantries
DO YOU NEED A RIDE? Mass 2-1-1 and Lyft have partnered to provide Relief Rides—limited, FREE transportation for those who meet specific eligibility requirements and have no other local resource available.
These rides are meant for critical non-emergency needs, including:
Food Access: Trips to food pantries, grocery shopping, or SNAP applications.
Employment: Short-term work transportation (up to 5 one-way or 3 round-trip rides).
Health & Medical: Non-emergency appointments, pharmacy trips, and mental health services.
This service is currently available to qualifying individuals in Fall River and New Bedford. Rides can often be scheduled immediately or up to 48 hours in advance. To check your eligibility, dial 2-1-1 or 877-211-6277. The phone line is available: Monday–Friday, 7:30 AM–4:00 PM.
Our Mission is to encourage diversity and mutual acceptance and work for positive change in ourselves and our community.
"We envision a congregation in which we practice the principles of our faith. We seek to enjoy peaceful reflection and inspiration in intellectually and spiritually satisfying church services. We aim to embrace the people and efforts of our church community by supporting our children and their programs, our committees and their goals, our staff and their efforts on our behalf, and each other."
Our Promises
Each person is important.
Be kind in all you do.
We help each other learn.
We search for what is true.
Each person has a say.
Work for a peaceful world.
The web of life’s the way.
Build the beloved community, free from racism and oppression.
First Unitarian Church in New Bedford
71 8th Street, New Bedford, MA 02740
(508) 994-9686
Administrator ext. 10
Minister ext. 13
Karen cell: (508) 441-9344
Thrift Shop ext. 12
Board Members & Officers
Steve Carmel, President
Charles Morgan, Vice President
Deborah Carmel, Treasurer
Trustees
Committee Chairs
Staff
The Thrift Shop is open Tuesdays and Saturdays from 10 AM to 1 PM
(508)994-9686 ext.12
Comments